Iris Publishers Agriculture Soil Science

Abstract Seed quality is one of the most important factors for stand establishment in cotton (Gossypium Sp.), and the use of good quality seeds is therefore essential to obtain an optimum plant population. Conditions prevailing during seed formation can affect the quality of seed produced, and hence crop establishment in the next growing season. These conditions can affect the germination of the seeds and the ability of the seedlings to emerge from soil, these being the most critical stages during the life cycle of cotton plant. Field experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), foliar application of zinc (Zn) and calcium (Ca), the use of plant growth retardants (PGR’s) [eg., 1, 1-dimethyl piperidinium chloride (MC); 2-chloroethyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (CC); or succinic acid 2, 2-dimethyl hydrazide (SADH)], during square initiation and boll setting stage, on growth, seed yield, seed viability, and seedling vigor...

  W.F.P.’S Nobel Prize, The Pandemic, & Our Emerging Existential Food Crisis Authored by Scott M Lacy The way we make food shapes the world we live in. And if that’s the case, by reverse logic, our 21st century lives are a collective indictment of an unjust global food system. Historic levels of inequality, poverty, and hunger pervade our lived experience despite centuries of experiments in search of political, economic, and even scientific solutions to alleviate all this suffering on a macro-level. That is not to say that all of our previous experiments were mistakes, not by a long shot. In fact, our species has a remarkable history of adapting our food system to the dynamic and precarious balance between population growth and our lived environment, the planet. Specifically, the long arc of our Homo sapiens history reveals two existential food crises that may help us better understand our 21st century challenges to feeding the planet. Our species’ first existential food c...

  Morphological Properties and Nutrient Status of Different Waste Derived Slow Pyrolyzed Biochars Authored by Md Faruque Hossain Abstract Slow pyrolyzed (500±50 °C) ten different waste derived biochar viz. animal bone, corn stover, wood chips, sewage sludge, sugarcane bagasse, green coconut palms, nutshells, potato peels, water hyacinth and organic waste were analyzed to know their physicochemical properties and nutrient contents. Results provided the fact that water hyacinth biochar had the best nutrient status along with excellent physical properties like water holding capacity (509%) and CEC (300 cmolc kg-1) whilst potato peel biochar was the second best among all categories. The average particle size of wood chips biochar 0.82 μm2 was the largest along with the maximum pore depth. However, the region of this biochar occupied by remarkably small particles, which was 47.42%. The corn stover biochar, on the other hand, had the smallest average particle size (0.18 μm2) and the lo...

  Potentials of Commercialization of Smallholder Farming in Kigoma Region, Tanzania: Gross Profit Margin Analysis of selected Crops in Selected Districts, Kigoma Region Authored by Chami Avit A Commercialization of smallholder farming (SF) is of paramount importance for African rural economic transformation. This study was undertaken to reveal the less known potentials of commercialization of SF in Kigoma Region. The Gross Profit Margin Analysis of beans, maize and cassava in Kasulu, Kakonko and Kibondo districts from Kigoma Region was performed. Descriptive cross-sectional research design was employed and both primary and secondary data were utilized. The target population of 10,708 smallholder farmers (SFs) resulted to the sample size of 400 SFs (at 95% confidence level and 5% confidence interval (0.05 sampling error)). The study revealed majority of households were male-headed households, 57% of the households had the household size ranging from 6 to 10 members while 96.5% of a...